Bret rides out of one town just ahead of a posse, and rides into the next town, Bent Forks. He ties up his horse outside the Golden Chance Saloon, and the owner Molly Gleason notices him. Inside, Bret chats with the bartender, Mike Brill, and admits that he's broke, Molly overhears him talking, and down the bar Moose Horton goes over to a man with his boots off reading a paper. Moose pours beer in the man's boot and sets his newspaper on fire, and laughs hysterically. The man leaves and Brill warns that sometimes the man, Old Charlie, is going to bust Moose's teeth. Bret runs a bar game with Moose and lets him win. They play again for money, and Bret soon collects enough money to pay for his meal.
After Bret finishes eating, Molly comes over and points out that she's been serving him. Bret explains that he was run out of Prairie Springs, and goes over to play some poker. He wins and gives Brill $10 to pay back Moose for the $5 he lost. Moose comes in and calls Bret out, and isn't interested in the $10. Bret ducks behind a table and shoots Moose in the hand. Sheriff Wes Corwin comes in and Brill says that Moose did most of the shooting, but Corwin insists that they talk it out at the office even though Bret offers the $10.
Corwin locks Bret up when he can't pay the $100 bail, and says that the circuit judge will be through in ten days. Molly brings Bret supper but it's not very good. He admits that he only cons men like Moose, and insists that he doesn't cheat at cards because he's that good. Corwin comes in and wonders why Molly is there, and says that he'll make sure the tray gets back. Once Molly leaves, Bret wonders what Molly is doing in Bent Forks and Corwin makes it clear Bret shouldn't get involved with him.
The next day, Corwin takes Bret to the saloon and Brill offers Bret a job in return for Brill. He explains that card sharps follow the cattle drovers, and he wants a spotter. Corwin checks Bret with a deck of cards and Molly says that she's heading to the bank. Corwin compliments her and Molly asks if Bret took the job. The sheriff says that he took it and hands him his gun, and they both watch Molly go.
Molly goes to the bank and hears the manager, Nelson, complaining about a teller who made a mistake and his nephew Ralph Jordan who didn't catch it. Molly talks to Ralph privately and says that she found the perfect man for the job. Ralph tells Molly to meet him at the shack that night.
That night, Molly leaves the saloon and Bret is outside. He thanks Molly for helping him and figures that she's avoiding him, and wonders why she got him out of jail. Bret offers to walk her home, and Molly says that she's going to visit the town invalid. She asks Bret to wait until the next morning, and Bret kisses her on the mouth. Molly rides to the ranch and tells Ralph that Bret is a drifter and is similar to Ralph in build and hair. Ralph says that when the cattle buyers arrive in ten days, the safe will be full of money and Molly needs to work on Bret to get him to do what they want. He reminds her of the plans that they've made, and gives Molly his ring to slip to Bret. Ralph tells her not to raise Bret's suspicions and assures her that their plan will work.
When the drovers arrive in town, they go to the saloon to play poker. Bret spots two of the players, Fletcher and Fred Callahan, working together to cheat, he calls them out. Fletcher fights and Bret punches him down. Corwin arrives and Bret explains how the two men have been cheating, and Corwin tells them to pay bail or go to jail.
Later, Molly has Bret take her to a nearby pond to cool off, and Molly says that she's been in Bent Forks for six months and came from St. Louis before that. Bret doesn't buy her claim that she left the big town because she wanted to, and says that he'd like to help her if he can. Molly tries to put Bret off, and he says that he keeps on the move because he's looking for a man and if he finds him, might have to settle down. Bret kisses her and backs off, and Molly goes back to the wagon.
Back in Bent Forks, Bret goes to town and finds the two card sharps waiting for him. Fletcher trains a gun on Bret and has Fred take his gun, and says that Bret cost them the $200 bail. They take him out of town and into the woods. Fred prepares to beat him, and Bret points out that if he manages to beat Fred, Fletcher will shoot him. He offers to show them how they can get their $200 back and more. They relent and Bret says that he needs help. Bret sits down and sketches out the street and the general store. When they're close enough, he throws dust in their face and tackles Fletcher. Corwin arrives and tells Fred and Fletcher to drop their guns. He orders them out of town, and then tells Bret to stay away from Molly. Bret refuses and Corwin attacks him.
At the bank, Molly tells Ralph that she hasn't had the chance to try the ring on Bret.
Bret finally knocks down Corwin and tells him that he still plans to see Molly, and asks if they're going to have to go through it again. Corwin says that he'll give it some thought and Bret rides back to town.
Later, Molly learns that Bret is leaving town and comes to his hotel room. She acts offended that he's leaving without telling her, and asks him to stay for a couple of days so she can be sure of the. Molly tells him that she had something planned for the two of them, but won't tell him where. Bret admits that he's got too much curiosity to turn down the offer, and Molly kisses him and leaves.
The couple take a carriage out to the shack farm and Molly says that there's 300 acres of farmland that comes with it. She suggests that Bret settle down there and takes him into the shack. They go inside and kiss, and Molly slips the ring on his finger to make sure that it fits. It does, but Bret says that it doesn't. They kiss again and Molly looks regretfully at the ring. She says that she wants to go back, claiming that she realized that she can't change him. Bret figures that there's something more and figures that he'd better stay a while longer to find out what.
That night, Ralph comes to the general store to meet with Molly. He tells her to meet him at the shack the next day, pays for his cigars, and leaves. The next day, Molly and Ralph meet at the shack and Ralph says that they're ready to move that night. She claims that she wasn't ready and needs more time to think, and Ralph asks if she's going to let them down. Ralph tells her to remember the plans they made in St. Louis, and they have to think that he's dead so they don't hunt them. He asks if she wants to go back to where he found her, and Molly says that she'll go ahead with their plan. Ralph tells her to bring Bret to the shack that night and make sure that Bret comes in first so he's the one who gets the shotgun blast to the face. Bret secretly watches from the bushes as they leave.
That night, Ralph cracks the bank safe and takes the $100,000.
At the saloon, Brill invites Bret to have a drink on him. Bret refuses, and Molly comes downstairs. She suggests that they go somewhere and Bret figures they should go to the shack, and admits that he saw Molly and Ralph there. Bret realizes that something is going on and takes Molly up to his room, and works out that Ralph was going to kill him. Molly admits that she's in love with Bret but still wants the money. She figures that they can leave with the money and Ralph will have to provide a cover story rather than incriminate himself. Bret says that he'll take care of it by himself and that Molly should trust him if she loves her.
Ralph waits at the shack with the shotgun, and Bret gets the drop on him from the back window. He says that they're going into town with the stolen $100,000, and when Bret comes in through the window Ralph goes for his revolver. He shoots and misses, and Bret mortally wounds him. Bret tells him not to die or he'll be in trouble, but Ralph dies anyway.
Bret goes back to his hotel room and tells her that Ralph is dead. Molly figures that they can still take the money, and Bret says that there was no money. She figures that Bret is lying and loudly says that she and Ralph worked out every move. Bret calls Corwin to the door, and the sheriff has heard the whole thing. He takes Molly to jail.
The next day at the bank, Nelson explains to the buyers that their $100,000 was stolen. However, they're not impressed. Bret arrives and suggests that Nelson offer a $3,000 reward. Once Nelson reluctantly agrees, Bret gives Nelson the stolen $100,000... minus his $3,000 reward for recovering the cash. Corwin tells Bret to get out of town, and Bret gladly goes. First he stops by the jail to say goodbye to Molly. He gives her $2,000, figuring that with a good lawyer she won't be in prison long. Bret says that she'll have enough left over for a good life with Corwin, says goodbye, and goes, tipping his hat to Corwin before riding off.
Written by Gadfly on May 5, 2019